For Girija, a 55-year-antique lady from Kerala, the dream of worldwide journey seemed far past reach. As the primary breadwinner of her family for extra than two decades, she had never set foot on a aircraft or owned a passport. Yet, against all odds, Girija and 14 other women from the poverty-eradication Kudumbashree software have been able to journey from southern India to Dubai, marking a transformative milestone of their lives.
Girija, who had spent her life operating to guide her own family, turned into overwhelmed with emotion when she found out of the opportunity to go to Dubai. “I never imagined that the first time I stepped foot on a aircraft could be to Dubai,” talking whilst exploring the town’s famed Miracle Garden. Her journey became made feasible through a joint initiative between Indian tour corporation Travel with Jas and Dubai-primarily based Smart Travels, who together created a customized travel revel in for those women, as a part of a company social duty (CSR) attempt to present back to the network.
The Kudumbashree program, launched through the government of Kerala over 20 years ago, has played a vital position in empowering women from low-earnings backgrounds, giving them access to resources and opportunities to enhance their lives. Many of the ladies concerned inside the program, such as Girija, work in diverse self-help projects, inclusive of catering and meals manufacturing, and earn between Dh1000 to Dh2000 per month. This software has allowed them to convert their monetary situations, imparting them with a feel of dignity and independence.
Girija’s tale is emblematic of the Kudumbashree program’s success. As the pinnacle of a catering provider unit, she runs a small however thriving commercial enterprise, catering for various occasions in her community. Her selection to embark on the experience to Dubai, no matter her busy time table, is a testimony to her dedication. “When I learnt approximately this experience in December, I knew I wanted to head. I carried out for my passport on an emergency foundation and got it within two weeks,” she defined. “This is the city we used to look on TV and examine about in newspapers. I nevertheless pinch myself to look if I’m dreaming or not.”
Girija turned into no longer the only girl in this life-converting adventure. Usha, a 54-year-old grandmother and a key member of the Kudumbashree application, become also part of the institution. Usha runs a small business generating homemade weaning food, which she materials to nurseries in her area. She has been the use of the profits from this challenge to teach her youngsters, build a house, and marry off her daughter. Now, she is capable of save sufficient money to meet her lengthy-held dream of travelling the world. “Until closing year, maximum of the women in our group had no longer travelled outdoor of our little metropolis. Today, we are in Dubai. I desire more girls are stimulated with the aid of what we do and begin taking part in their lives,” Usha shared.
For those girls, the ride to Dubai isn’t just about traveling a overseas city, however approximately attaining some thing they never notion viable. Jasmine Begum, who heads Travel with Jas, mentioned how enthusiastic the ladies were whilst the concept of the trip become first introduced. “Many of them have spent their whole lives earning for their families. When I floated the idea of a Dubai trip, they had been very excited to return,” she stated. While simplest 15 women have been capable of make the experience this yr, the hope is that inside the future, greater girls from the Kudumbashree program may have the opportunity to experience similar existence-converting adventures.
One of the highlights of the trip became the visit to the Miracle Garden in Dubai, which left the ladies in awe. Girija defined it as “one of the most stunning matters I have seen in my lifestyles.” The ladies had been capable of discover different well-known traveler locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, way to a custom tour package deal designed to show off the best of the UAE. Safeer Mahamood, widespread manager of Smart Travels, expressed pride in making this adventure possible, pointing out, “We absorbed most of the cost as a part of our CSR initiative to ensure that those ladies could experience some thing extremely good.”
However, their adventure to Dubai became now not just about entertainment. Girija, as an instance, changed into balancing the journey together with her duties returned domestic. Her catering service turned into busy getting ready for a wedding occasion in Kerala, where the son of a state minister changed into getting married. “I knew that such an possibility could not come every day, so I got my crew to finish the arrangements for the event,” she stated, displaying her unwavering commitment to her commercial enterprise and circle of relatives.
Despite the challenges, Girija looks lower back on the journey as an empowering and transformative experience. Reflecting on the problems confronted for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, when her catering unit changed into tasked with getting ready meals for 1,500 human beings in quarantine facilities, Girija stated the demanding situations of catering for a excessive-profile wedding paled in contrast. “At the start of the pandemic, we were approached with the aid of the local government to prepare dinner food for 1500 people staying in quarantine centers, three times a day for months. It turned into a life-converting revel in for us,” she recalled.
The story of Girija, Usha, and the opposite women who made this experience to Dubai is a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength of girls who have spent their lives running tirelessly for their households. Through the Kudumbashree software and the generosity of organizations like Travel with Jas and Smart Travels, these girls are beginning to meet dreams that had been as soon as unattainable. As they go back from their existence-changing adventure, they now not simplest bring lower back memories of a experience to a overseas land however additionally the understanding that their tough work and perseverance can cause extraordinary achievements.
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